Chapter 3 #2
“See? That’s what I said.” Cyrus was nodding and talking. “Truly, I pretty much said exactly that to Nessy when he came walking up.”
“And I bet she told you not to worry ‘cause she loved you.”
“Do you know her?”
“No, but I know Tamsyn, and the more you talk, the more I am sure those two came out of the same mold.”
“Well, then you know how frustrating it can be.”
“I do.”
“And this shit kept happening. Everywhere we were, he showed up, horned in on our plans, and did everything in his power to get rid of me.”
“Oh, boy, I would’ve been fightin’ mad.”
“And I was, but I tried not to act like the jealous Neanderthal Nessy was accusing me of being, but it was hard– damn hard.”
“I couldn’t have done it.”
“Yeah, well, it all came to a head when Nessy was an hour gettin’ home one night and when she finally showed up, she had that asshole with her.”
“No, she did not?”
“Yes, she did,” Cyrus shot right back. “And before I could throw him out, she had me in the kitchen and was giving me some sob story about him being a Lone Wolf…”
“More like a Rogue.”
“Yep, I said that, too.” Once again nodding, Cyrus was on a roll.
“That bastard told him that he was a Lone Wolf who’d lost his whole Pack when his daddy died, and he had nowhere to go.
He went so far as to tell her that he was run off the Pack Lands that had belonged to his family for centuries, and he was just looking for a new Pack. ”
“What a fuckin’ liar,” Luke spat. “As soon as you’re finished, I’ll tell you what really happened.”
“Okay, good,” Cyrus agreed. “I’m almost done.”
“Okay, go on then.”
“Well, I let my sweet, do-gooder give the asshole dinner, and the next day, I went to talk to Bonnie Sampson. Well, Aamon had given us the name Blackwood but said that he was from Washington State. So…”
“So, Bonnie couldn’t find out anything.”
“Nope, she did not, and then she went on to say that Aamon was not welcome in the Sampson Pack. She didn’t like him, and had talked to her twin, Maggie Mae, Maggie’s Mate, Heath MacAllen, who’s a Dragon, and the Sampson Pack Enforcer, Junior Thompson, and they all agreed that there Aamon was not a good fit for them. ”
“Who could blame them?”
“Well, I damned sure didn’t,” Cy huffed. “And of course, I went right to Nessy, told her what Bonnie said and that he needed to be movin’ on.”
“Now, let me guess,” Luke smiled. “That went over like a fart in church.”
“Oh, yeah, and then some.” Shaking his head, Cyrus huffed out a frustrated breath. “But and I take no pleasure in this, the very next day, that rat bastard made a move on Vanessa.”
“Oh, yeah, we’re gonna kick his ass.”
“Yes, we are, but first we have to get out of here.”
“And while we’re waitin’, you gotta tell me why you thought Aamon was dead.”
“Oh, yeah.” Shifting his weight from one hip to the other, Cy went on, “My girl stood right up to him. She told him that she and I were Fated and while she was very flattered, he was not the man for her.”
“And the asshole didn’t take no for an answer.’
“No, he did not. It went on for two more weeks, and finally, he did it in front of me. We were at Rodeo, Bonnie and Maggie Mae’s bar in Valentine…”
“Do those girls own everything?”
Laughing, Cy replied, “They are revitalizing Valentine and the surrounding area, trying to bring Magical folks back to the area.”
“That Bonnie really is somethin’ special.”
“You want me to say what I’m thinking?”
“No,” Luke grumbled. “I want you to finish your story.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Cy snickered, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
“So, Nessy and I were having a few drinks, enjoying the band, and dancing, and Aamon came walking like he owned the joint and challenged me right there in front of not only the MacAllen Dragons, but the Stone brothers, and about twenty of the Sampson Wolves.”
“You had to go through with it.”
“I was about to, but Bonnie came out and said there would be no fighting. Then she told Aamon that he could not challenge a man for his Fated Mate. She went on to tell him that he had twenty-four hours to get out of Valentine. She added that he was also persona non grata in all Sampson Pack Territory and the Thorntree Cherokee Reservation.”
“Good for her.”
“Yeah, well, Aamon sassed back and said he didn’t know where anything, but Valentine and Holly Bush even were.
So, Bonnie pulled a map out of her back pocket and showed him as she explained that between the Sampson Pack, the Thorntree Res and the Thorntree Timberwolf Pack Lands, and the MacAllen and Stone Dragon, he could not settle in Valentine, Burning Hearts, Bitter End, Talking Rock, Holly Bush, or Mule Shoe– and that was six-hundred-and fifty square miles and most of the Chihuahuan Desert. ”
“Damn, I can see why she wants to bring Supernatural people back. That’s a lot of land and not enough people.”
“Yes, it is.”
“So, what did Aamon say to that?”
“He left with his tail between his legs, and everybody thought it was over.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I did not,” Cy tried to keep the snarl from his voice but failed. “Men like Aamon don’t walk away.”
“And you were right?”
“Yep.” No longer able to stay still, Cyrus pushed off the boulder and started to pace. “I took Nessy home. We talked and went to bed. She kept telling me everything would be okay, and I agreed with her so she wouldn’t worry, but I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling of being watched.”
“Let me guess.” Luke snorted. “You didn’t stay in bed all night.”
“No, I did not,” he confirmed, still pacing.
“The minute I stepped out on the patio, I knew he was there.” Inhaling through his nose and slowly exhaling, Cyrus rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension as he walked back and forth in front of the Black Bear Shifter.
“I saw his shadow against the tree line. The bastard was already partially Shifted. He took off at a full sprint, but before I could even get off the deck, the backyard was filled with Sampson Wolves. Junior, their Enforcer and a Jeff Davis County Sheriff, stepped in front of Aamon and stopped with nothing more than his voice.”
“Damn.”
“Yep. But Aamon didn’t stay still. He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Junior. The tall, broad Wolf fell to the ground, and that was when all hell broke loose, but Blackwood was untouchable, except for…”
“Except for your Dragon Fire.”
“Yeah,” Cy replied, remembering how guilty he felt. “Dom and I acted on instinct and impulse…”
“And the need to protect your Mate, don’t forget that.”
“Oh, man, never.” Stopping, Cyrus turned toward the Black Bear. “I didn’t even get a chance to take a breath before Nessy was at my side. She hugged me like she’d never let go and kept telling me not to worry, that I did what I had to do.”
“But…”
“But something didn’t feel right.”
“With Vanessa?”
“No, with me and…” Running his hand through his hair, not sure how to say what needed to be said, he forced out a frustrated breath and blurted out, “…and with the way he was able to drop Junior and get past twelve Wolf Guards, but never got close to me and didn’t even scream when Dom’s Dragon Fire just… just… just engulfed him.”
“Well, maybe I can give you some answers.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” Luke nodded. “I could fill a month of Sundays with all the shit I know about the Blackwoods.”
“Go for it.”
“Let’s just focus on the night you thought Aamon was dead and what I think is happening here.” He pointed upward and waved his finger around.
Nodding, Cyrus went back to the tree stump and leaned his ass against the rough tree bark. The two seconds it took for Luke to start speaking seemed like a lifetime, but when he did, the Guardsman had a whole new perspective on Aamon Blackwood and his family.
“The Blackwood family has been a scourge on this mountain for at least three centuries. The whole Voodoo-Hoodoo-Sorcery-Black Magic bullshit is new to this generation, but they have always been selfish, arrogant, and just plain mean.” Scratching at his beard, he kept going, “Now, Aamon was the apple of his daddy’s eye.
Not only because he was a boy, but because it took so long for them to have him, and there were complications with his birth that left Momma Blackwood unable to have any other children. ”
“Is it wrong to be thankful that there are no other little Aamons running around?”
“Oh, hell, no!” Luke emphatically responded.
“We were all sorry she was so sick and so sad, after all, she was the only nice Blackwood, but we all saw the Devil in Aamon’s eyes from the moment he was born and thanked the Great Goddess there would be no more.
” Shaking his head, he added, “I mean, two of his three older sisters were rotten to the core, and nobody ever saw the other one, so we counted our lucky stars and kept on putting one foot in front of the other.”
“Damn!” Cyrus spat. “There are four of them?”
“Yeah, and this here…” He waved the index finger of his left hand back and forth. “…is the work of the one and only, Angelique.”
“But how?”
“I am gettin’ to that.”
“Well, get quicker.”
“Okay, okay, okay, take a breath. I’ll tell ya.” Shaking his head with a grin on his face, Luke started again. “Now, I’m gonna give you the Reader’s Digest version, ‘cause it would take years to tell you everything.”
“Works for me.”
With a single nod, he went on, “A while back, Angelique fell in love with some Voodoo Wizard goth-lookin’ dude who showed up on their side of the mountain.
Needless to say, her daddy was pissed. All they did was fight, and the Wizard guy said it was bad juju and he was goin’ back to New Orleans.
Well, Big Man Blackwood blew his top. The minute his eldest was out the door, he took away her birthright. ”
“Son of a ….”
“You can say that again.” Nodding with his eyes wide, the Black Bear kept right on going. “I don’t know how long she was gone, but it was at least a couple of decades, and when she got back, well, let’s just say, she was supercharged.”
“Did she get her birthright back?”
“Nope, she’s got a lot of power, but her younger sister, Angeline, is meaner than a black snake and has the loyalty of the whole damn Pack.”
“Is she already in charge?”
“Not in so many words, but yeah, pretty much.” Luke quickly shook his head. “Momma Blackwood is still alive, bedridden, but still alive. She can’t do anything, so she’s given her daughter the okay to run the pack, but as you know, the Magic of the Luna won’t pass to her until her mother passes.”
“So, how did she do this?”
“She didn’t do this,” Luke snapped, his irritation suddenly a living, breathing being between them. “Weren’t you…?”
“Oh, he was listening,” a low, rumbling voice with a thick Scottish brogue burst into the Black Magic bubble holding them captive. “He just can’t help speaking before his brain is completely engaged.”
No sooner had the disembodied voice chuckled than the Voodoo net all around them exploded. Dark, Mystical shards of dirty Magic flew in every direction. The horrific acrid stench of burnt herbs, flesh, and fur filled the air as a thick black fog emanated from the very center.
Opening his mouth to speak, Cyrus didn’t even get to draw a breath as a gust of fresh, clean air cleared the air and the majestic flap of Dragon wings reverberated off of every surface.
Looking straight ahead, the Guardsman had to blink twice to be sure what he saw was real– the chasm was gone.
There was no trace. It had all been an illusion.
Mouth still open, his eyes about to fall out of his head, Cyrus’s head fell back as far as it would go, and what he saw was truly an answer to prayers– circling the above was none other than Carrick, letting the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul take the lead.
Closer and closer he descended until the Guardsman could see the eyes of his mentor shining through those of the mighty Winged Warrior. From one beat of his heart to the next, the garnet Dragon Shifted into the renowned Elder, and Carrick’s feet hit the ground.
Without missing a beat, he turned toward the Black Bear, gave a quick bow of his head, and greeted, “Nice to see you again, Luke.”:
“Damned nice to see you, too.” Pushing off the boulder, he closed the area between them and held out his hand, smiling as they shook. “I mean it, I am happier than I know how to say to see you.”
“And I am happy to be of service.”
“How did you…?” Pointing to the left and then the right, he cleared his throat and started again. “How did you do all this?”
“Let’s just say that I have been alive a long time and have learned a lot of things.”
Not waiting for the Black Bear to respond, he turned to Cyrus, smiled, and teased, “So, you thought this was a good place to stop, have a chat, and freeze the scales off your ass?”
Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Cy couldn’t help but laugh. “Yep, you know me so well.”
“That I do, Lad.”
“How did you know?”
“Let’s just say, when I promised your father that I would always be there for you, I meant what I said.”
“I don’t want to know, do I?”
“No, you do not.” Apparently done with that conversation, Carrick’s expression grew dark. “There will be time to catch up later. Your Mate is in trouble.”
“No shit,” Cyrus emphatically agreed. “Lead the way, Captain, my Captain.”
“Do remind me to kick your ass when all this is over.”
“Can I watch?” Luke chuckled.
“Oh, you can do more than watch, my friend,” Carrick grinned. “You can help.”
“With friends like you two, I’m not sure I need enemies,” Cyrus grumbled.
“But we love you,” the Black Bear laughed out loud.